findmypath Posted November 2, 2011 Share Posted November 2, 2011 All, Recently I bought a air compressor to help me with things around the house and the garage. I also pickup up a impact wrench so that I don't have to run to the shop to do tire rotations etc. However, I was reading on some sites that it is not recommended to tighten your lug nuts with a impact wrench. Is that true? How do you guys do it? Should I just return the impact wrench and buy a torque wrench instead? I saw my mechanic break loose and tighten lug nuts all the time so I assumed its fine but some folks had not so pleasant experiences with tightening lug nuts with a impact wrench. Any thoughts? Thanks. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
adamzan Posted November 2, 2011 Share Posted November 2, 2011 (edited) You can tighten lugs with an impact, but use a torque stick and start the first few threads by hand as not to damage the stud or nut. Although personally I go for the trusty torque wrench. Edited November 2, 2011 by adamzan Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Precise1 Posted November 2, 2011 Share Posted November 2, 2011 90-100 lbs IIRC and no, don't use an impact gun unless it has an accurate torque setting or you use a torque adapter. I've broken a tire star on the side of the road trying to remove lug nuts and ever since then I torque my own lug nuts and by hand. Not like it's hard... B Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
devonianwalk Posted November 2, 2011 Share Posted November 2, 2011 I too torque them by hand. 90 lbs Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RJSquirrel Posted November 2, 2011 Share Posted November 2, 2011 (edited) Impact wrenches(at least the ones most people can afford) are only to be used to remove fasteners. Tighten them with an air/manual ratchet, and then use a torque wrench and the correct pattern & setting for whatever you are tightening down. People watching pit crews in NASCAR don't realize the impact wrenches being used to change tires are precision-calibrated units that cost about $2000 each. Impact wrenches will over-tighten fasteners, and can warp hubs and brake rotors and damage wheel bearings because the clamping forces are uneven. I do use an impact wrench occasionally for speed, when tightening fasteners, but I have the impact gun set to its very lowest setting so it will stop as soon as it hits any resistance at all, so I don't damage anything. Even with this, I need to start all the fasteners by hand so nothing gets cross-threaded. Impact wrenches are just part of the toolkit. If you are limited on funds, and trade in your impact wrench on a torque wrench, remember to buy a breaker bar for loosening things. A torque wrench is only meant for tightening. Edited November 2, 2011 by RJSquirrel Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Slartibartfast Posted November 3, 2011 Share Posted November 3, 2011 When I'm doing lug nuts, I just thread them on finger tight, tighten with the lug wrench, then jump a little on the end of the wrench (I'm not that heavy) for final torque. No issues yet. Aren't impact wrenches were more about removing stuck bolts than assembling stuff? A guy tried to mount axles in my dad's Audi with an impact wrench, and one of them straight fell out. Of course, he also forgot the locktite, so there's that. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
findmypath Posted November 3, 2011 Author Share Posted November 3, 2011 I think I'm going to get a torque wrench and play it safe. Thanks everyone for the advice. The last thing I want to do is to over tighten the lug nuts or tighten them so much that I can't take them off on the side of the road. Thanks again. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
nunya Posted November 3, 2011 Share Posted November 3, 2011 Impacts are nice, but I neve trust them or those torque sticks adman posted (they are only as good as the gun they are connected to). You can get a decent torque wrench pretty affordable (you don't need some fancy digital display that brushes your teeth while you tighten the lugs). It's a good investment and will come in handy when doeing some engine work as well if you start to get into it. And I torque my wheels at 95ft.lb. on my aluminums and 105 ft.lb. on my steelies Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sewebster Posted November 3, 2011 Share Posted November 3, 2011 Some shops use impact wrenches irresponsibly. Got my tires mounted at a fountain tire and I had to get my impact out just to take the wheels off. Thank goodness I didn't notice in the middle of nowhere with a flat I couldn't change... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tungsten Posted November 3, 2011 Share Posted November 3, 2011 usually 100 ft/lbs is a good safe bet on the torque and that's what most impact ratchets are set for in the shops just make sure they start the nuts by hand Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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